NASCAR centerpiece: Boys, have at what, exactly?

Rob Sneddon

Monday

May 23, 2011 at 12:01 AMMay 23, 2011 at 8:12 PM

NASCAR tries again to clarify its policy on self-policing

ONE TO WATCH: Carl Edwards
WHY HE MATTERS: Cup points leader won last week’s All-Star Race.
WHAT HE SAYS: “I think it bodes well for the 600, for sure.”
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY: His best career finish in a points race at Charlotte is third.

CENTERPIECE
Boys, have at … what, exactly?
NASCAR tries again to clarify its policy on self-policing

NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France saw it coming. “I know we’ll have some questions on some of the mixing it up on the racetrack in recent weeks,” France said at the start of a news conference at Charlotte Motor Speedway last week.
Good guess.
Ever since NASCAR announced in January 2010 that it was loosening the reins on on-track behavior — “Boys, have at it,” in NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton’s oft-quoted words — fans, media members and the drivers themselves have expressed confusion over the policy. Where, exactly, is the line that separates good, aggressive driving from a punishable offense? This question has resurfaced after two recent episodes. In the first, Ryan Newman and Juan Pablo Montoya did a slam dance at Richmond, with no consequences. In the second, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch had a post-race confrontation at Darlington that resulted in fines and probation. Why the discrepancy?
France has maintained all along that the distinctions in such cases are quite clear. And he’s right. Here’s “Have at it,” simplified.

This isn’t a new policy
As France pointed out, contact without official consequence has long been a part of NASCAR racing. France cited the famous finish in the 1976 Daytona 500, when David Pearson and runner-up Richard Petty wrecked each other on the last lap, and Pearson wheezed across the line to win. “They obviously hit each other and spun out in the grass,” said France. “So you go through our history, and that’s part of it — contact, emotion — in particular late in the race.”
Added France, “But we’re like any (other sport). We can over-officiate and over-regulate in some circumstances, over a 60-year period of time. And our point a couple years ago was that we thought we might be in a pattern of that, and we wanted to put it more in the drivers’ hands.”
Exactly. In October 2009, NASCAR instituted a “no bump-drafting” rule at Talladega, which prohibited contact in the turns but not on the straightaways. The drivers complained that the policy was too restrictive — and NASCAR agreed. “Boys, have at it” was the sanctioning body’s way of telling the drivers it was up to them to determine when and where on the racetrack contact was appropriate. But, said France, “We never said there were no limits to that. You just can’t go around with a missile and a weapon out there.”

Not just anything goes
NASCAR has been consistent on that point all along. The day the “Boys, have at it” policy was announced, NASCAR president Mike Helton cautioned that “it comes with the responsibility of maintaining law and order.” And in his remarks last week, France said, “If (the drivers) go over a line we think is there, we'll deal with that.”?Harvick and Busch clearly crossed the line at Darlington when they escalated their confrontation on pit road after the checkered flag. Harvick left his car to confront Busch, who in turn rammed Harvick’s unmanned car, sending it into the pit road retaining wall. That was a dangerous situation by anybody’s standards. The confusion stemmed from whether the four-week probation that NASCAR handed down included the All-Star Race (a non-points event) or not. France said it did: “If we took the lid off and said there are no rules, or don’t worry about any ramifications that might extend into next week at all, then we believe that … would be above the limits (that) make any sense.”

The boys can have at it and still have a clean race
The recent skirmishes had some observers fearing that the no-holds-barred All-Star Race would be a wreck-fest. It didn’t turn out that way — even though Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch, who have had their share of dust-ups, finished first and second, respectively. “He raced me really clean,” Edwards said of Busch. “I thought we raced each other really well.”
“From my vantage point, it was kind of a tame race,” Busch told the media afterward. He added with a smile: “Sorry we didn’t give you any drama.”

NEXT RACE Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte Motor Speedway
THE LOWDOWN Can Carl Edwards follow up his victory in the 125-mile All-Star sprint with a win in Sunday night’s 600-mile marathon? The odds are better than you might think. “May Sweeps” have happened seven times in the 27 years since the All-Star Race began. During that same span, only four drivers have followed up a win in the 600 with a victory in Charlotte’s 500-miler in October — even though the autumn race is far more similar to the 600 than is the gimmicky All-Star event. Further proof that momentum matters as much in racing as in any other sport.

Quote of note
“Whatever he said is probably true.” — Dale Earnhardt Jr., on comments from team owner Rick Hendrick indicating that the two were close to signing a contract extension.

Where to watch
Sunday’s pre-race show on Fox starts at 5:30 p.m. EDT, followed by race coverage at 6.

UP TO SPEED
In the long run
Based on past editions of the Coca-Cola 600, Roush Fenway Racing has the best handle on how to tune engines for durability and fuel mileage over the long haul. Each of the four RFR drivers has gone the full 600-mile distance (rain-shortened races are not included) in NASCAR’s longest race at least 50 percent of the time, with Carl Edwards leading the way at 80 percent (see chart). Jimmie Johnson used to be the standard bearer, but after starting his career with five straight lead-lap finishes in 600-mile events (including two wins), Johnson has finished well off the pace in his last two. Kyle Busch has gone the opposite way; he’s completed the last two 600-milers (finishing third each time) after starting his career 0 for 4.

Formula for success
Despite its recent struggles with everything from attendance to TV ratings to sponsorship, NASCAR remains an attractive destination for racers of every stripe. 2007 Formula One champion Kimi Raikkonen is the latest international star to cross the pond, having finished 15th in his full-fendered debut in a NASCAR Camping World truck series race at Charlotte last Friday. Said NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France, “The idea that (Formula One champions) look at this style of racing and level of competition on par with anybody in the world — that’s exactly what we’d expect.”

Milestone
On the same weekend as the 52nd Coca-Cola 600, the Indianapolis 500 celebrates its 100th anniversary. The first 500-Mile International Sweepstakes Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30, 1911, established many customs that have become standard procedure in all forms of oval racing, including NASCAR. The flying start, the use of a pace car, the number “500” as a standard unit of measure in races, tire management, even rearview mirrors — all trace their origins to the first Indianapolis 500.